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WHEN YOU
DRAW GAG CARTOONS FOR MAGAZINES A GOOD SIZE IS 6 1/4" X 9 1/4". TEN TO
FIFTEEN CAR- TOON DRAWINGS WILL FIT NICELY IN A 6 1/2" X 9 1/2" ENVELOPE. USE A GOOD QUALITY TYPING OR LASER PAPER SO THAT YOUR INK WILL NOT BLEED. I LIKE LASER 24LB. HIGH BRIGHTNESS PAPER. YOU CAN GET PREMIUM QUALITY PAPER FOR UNDER $ 8.00. (THANKS TO THE COMPUTER AGE) IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO REDUCE ONE OF YOUR CARTOONS TO THE SIZE THE MAGAZINE USES TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INK LINES HOLD UP. YOUR CARTOON CAN BE DRAWN HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL. MORE ABOUT SIZE |
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DRAWING - A CARTOON DRAWN IN A SIMPLE STYLE WILL SELL JUST AS WELL OR BETTER THAN ONE THAT IS COMPLICATED. IF YOU WERE TO SELL THE DRAWING ON THE LEFT IN A STRIP YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DRAW IT FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS. GLASBERGEN IS A MASTER AT SIMPLICITY AND YOU WILL SEE HIS CARTOONS IN EVERY TOP MAGAZINE. MORE TIPS ON DRAWING LETTERING - GOOD LETTERING TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE. KERNING WILL ADD CHARACTER AND MAKE YOUR LETTERING LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL. DON'T GET TO FANCY, YOUR LETTERING HAS TO BE EASY TO READ. 10 TIPS ON BALLOON LETTERING |
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COLOR - ALMOST ALL FULL COLOR CARTOON WORK USE TO BE DONE IN WATERCOLOR
BUT NOW CARTOONISTS ARE USING ACRYLICS, POSTER PAINT, DRAWING INKS, COLORED PENCILS, PASTELS, OIL PAINTS AND EVEN
FELT MARKERS. CHECK OUT WHAT
RON FERDINAND,
MIKE BALDWIN,
BRUCE LEWIS AND
STEPHEN D. STONE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT COLOR.
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BASIC TOOLS OF THE TRADE |
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PENCILS - THE MOST POPULAR PENCIL FOR
CARTOONING IS THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE #2 (WITH OR WITHOUT BITE MARKS) I KNOW I
WILL GET E-MAILS ABOUT THIS, BUT I LIKE A GOOD MECHANICAL PENCIL. DID I JUST
HEAR THE SOUND OF CARTOONISTS FAINTING?
ERASERS - SOFT ART GUM ERASER IS THE BEST, BUT IF YOU HAVE TO DO MUCH ERASING YOU WILL BE UP TO YOUR ELBOWS IN ERASER CRUMBS . A POPULAR ERASER FOR CARTOONING IS A EBERHARD FABER KNEADED RUBBER ERASER. NO CRUMBS. PENS - FELT TIP PENS ARE FROWNED ON BY MANY, BUT THEY ARE BECOMING VERY POPULAR. RANDY GLASBERGEN DID A GREAT BOOK ON CARTOONING USING NOTHING BUT FELT TIP PENS FOR ALL THE CARTOONS. (FLAIR I THINK) PINPOINTS - PROBABLY THE TWO MOST POPULAR PEN POINTS ARE GILLOTT'S 170 AND SPEEDBALL A-5. IF YOU'RE GOOD, YOU MIGHT TRY A GILLOTT'S 1290. IF YOU CAN MASTER THIS PEN, THE EDITORS WILL THINK YOUR WORK WAS DONE WITH A BRUSH. 10 TIPS ON USING A PEN BRUSH - IF YOU CAN'T BUY THE BEST, USE A MAGIC MARKER. YOU CAN NOT DO MUCH BETTER THAN A WINSOR-NEWTON SERIES 7 WATERCOLOR BRUSH #2 AND MAYBE A #4 FOR FILLING IN BLACK AREAS. 10 TIPS ON USING A BRUSH INK - HIGGINS WATERPROOF DRAWING INK IS STILL THE KING. THERE ARE OTHER GOOD INKS. I LIKE "ARTONE" EXTRA DENSE BLACK. (THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF CARTOONISTS, THOSE WHO HAVE KNOCKED THEIR INK OVER AND THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO KNOCK OVER THEIR INK.) WHITE PAINT - YOU'LL NEED WHITE PAINT TO CORRECT MISTAKES. I KNOW YOU DON'T MAKE MISTAKES, BUT SOMEONE MIGHT HIT YOUR ELBOW OR SOMETHING. TYPEWRITER WHITE-OUT WILL WORK. MORE ABOUT WHITE PAPER - FOR GAG CARTOONS, A GOOD GRADE OF EXTRA WHITE 24 LB. LASER PAPER WILL DO THE JOB. THE COMPUTER AGE HAS BROUGHT US A GREAT SELECTION OF LOW COST HIGH QUALITY PAPER. FOR SIX TO TWELVE DOLLARS YOU CAN KNOCK OUT FIVE HUNDRED CARTOONS. FOR CARTOON STRIPS YOU'LL NEED A LITTLE BETTER PAPER. A GOOD CHOICE WOULD BE STRATHMORE BRISTOL 2 PLY. SCREENS (BENDAY) - IF YOU CAN MASTER INKING WITH A BRUSH YOUR CARTOONS WILL PROBABLY HAVE A LOT OF FLARE AND CHARACTER. IF NOT, YOU MIGHT TRY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF PATTERN SCREENS. IF YOU LOOK AT GARY LARSON'S THE FAR SIDE YOU WILL SEE THE USE OF A LOT OF SCREEN. FOR A MORE SIMPLE BUT VERY AFFECTIVE USE OF SCREEN CHECK OUT SOME GARFIELD BOOKS BY JIM DAVIS. CUTTING OUT SCREEN IS A LITTLE HARD AT FIRST BUT AFTER A DOZEN OR SO CARTOONS YOU WILL BE A PRO. MORE ABOUT SCREENS LIGHT BOX - A LIGHT BOX CAN BE A REAL TIME SAVER. YOU CAN REDRAW, CORRECT, MAKE CHANGES OR TIGHTEN YOUR ROUGHS. ENVELOPES - FOR CARTOON STRIPS YOU CAN MAKE A GREAT ENVELOPE FROM A SUPER MARKET BROWN PAPER BAG. (UNTIL YOU MAKE THE BIG TIME) FOR GAG CARTOONS YOU WILL NEED 6 1/2" BY 9 1/2" ENVELOPES. RESIST THE URGE TO SEND BIG CARTOONS IN BIG ENVELOPES. THE POSTAGE COSTS WILL TAKE THE WIND OUT OF YOUR SAILS. MORE STUFF - IT WOULD BE HANDY TO HAVE A RULER, T-SQUARE, ANGLES, COMPASS, EXACTO KNIFE, TRACING PAD, LIGHT BOX AND 10LBS OF DETERMINATION. THE MORGUE - ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE TOOLS A CARTOONIST CAN HAVE IS A MORGUE. A MORGUE IS A COLLECTION OF PICTURES OF EVERY THING FROM AARDVARKS TO ZIPPERS. TO GET STARTED, GET YOUR SELF A CARDBOARD BOX AND A SET OF FILE DIVIDERS. MARK YOUR FILES ANIMALS. HOLIDAYS, HOUSEHOLD. INDUSTRY, KIDS, MEN. MILITARY, OLD PEOPLE, PLACES, SPORTS, TRANSPORTATION, WOMEN ETC. ETC. NOW START SAVING PICTURES FROM PAPERS, MAGAZINES AND CATALOGS. WHEN YOU START TRYING TO TURN OUT TEN TO TWELVE CARTOONS A DAY AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRAW A TASMANIAN DEVIL OR A WING COMMANDER AT CHICKEN DELIGHT, YOUR MORGUE WILL SAVE YOU. NOTE - DON'T LET THIS LIST OF MATERIALS DISCOURAGE YOU, ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO GET STARTED IS A PENCIL, A FELT TIP MARKER AND A PIECE OF PAPER - LET'S DRAW! |
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WHAT DO THE PROFESSIONALS USE? |